Garment hangers with self-adjusting garment holding means



Dec. 31, 1963 P. s. M LEAN 3,1 5 995 GARMENT HANGERS WITH SELF-ADJUSTING GARMENT HOLDING MEANS Filed NOV. 20, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ticll.

INVENTOR.

Dec. 31, 1963 P. s. McLEAN 3,115,995

v GARMENT'HANGERS WITH SELF-ADJUSTING GARMENT HOLDING MEANS Filed NOV. 20, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,115,995. GARMENT HANGERS WITH SELF-ADJUSTING GARMENT HOLDING MEANS Philip S. McLean, Bloomfield, NJ. (233 Broadway, New York 7, N.Y.) Filed Nov. 20, 1961, 'Ser. No. 154,108 Claims. (Cl. 223--91) 1116 invention herein disclosed relates to garment hangers of the type shown in Patents 2,681,755 of June 22, 1954 and 2,775,378 of December 25, 1956, having a bar projecting from one shoulder form toward but short of the other shoulder form, enabling a garment to be slipped edgewise over the free end of the bar into supported position thereon.

Objects of the present invention primarily are to provide simple and practical self-adjusting means for retaining a garment in desired supported position on such a bar, which will yield or open up to a necessary extent for insertion of the garment and which will then grip and hold the garment with pressure limited to avoid creasing or otherwise marking the garment.

These objects have been attained by constructing the hanger with a lower, supporting bar extending from the lower end of one shoulder form, toward but short of the other shoulder form and providing an overstanding clamping bar projecting from the other shoulder form toward but short of the first shoulder form and interposing a hinge in the mounting of this upper, clamping bar, enabling it to lift away from the supporting bar for insertion of garments and then to lower into holding position resting on the thus located garment.

In practice this hinge mounting for the clamping bar may be an integral portion of the hanger, enabling the complete structure to be molded or otherwise shaped all in one piece.

Other desirable objects accomplished by the invention and further novel features of the invention are set forth or will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate certain present practical embodiments of the invention. Structure however may be modified and changed as regards the immediate disclosure, all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

FIG. 1 in the drawings is a front elevation of one of the hangers having the hinge incorporated in the upper portion of the shoulder form carrying the upper bar, the same being an integral reduced cross section portion enabling that shoulder form with its clamp bar to lift and lower to the limited extent necessary to accomplish their purpose.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the hanger shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of another form of the hanger in which the integral hinge for the one shoulder form is provided by a notch cut or molded at the junction of the shoulder form with the central body portion of the hanger.

FIG. 4 is a broken and more or less diagrammatic view illustrating the hinging action of a hanger similar to that shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of another form of the invention in which the hinge for the clamping bar is interposed as a portion of reduced cross section at the root or connection of the clamp bar with the shoulder form.

FIG. 6 is a front elevation of another form in which the hinge for the clamping bar is effected by a central pivot connection between companion shoulder forms, one carrying the upper clamping bar and the other the lower supporting bar.

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FIG. 7 is a broken sectional detail on substantially the plane of line 77 of FIG. 6.

In the integral one-piece form of hanger illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 there is a central body portion 7 by which the hanger may be supported and shoulder forms 8 and 9 divergent therefrom.

The central head or supporting portion is shown as having a neck formation 10 continued upwardly into an integral supporting hook 11.

The first shoulder form 8 has alateral extension bar 12 at the lower end of the same projecting toward but short of the second shoulder form 9 and the second shoulder form has a lateral extension 13 at the lower end of the same projecting over the lower bar toward but short of the first shoulder form.

This construction can be readily molded or otherwise formed in one piece, in plastic or other somewhat flexible material, with separation or possibly some desirable spacing between the upper and lower bars 12 and 13.

To facilitate entrance of a garment between the free end of the supporting bar and the clamping or pressure bar at 14 a hinge mounting for the pressure bar is provided by reducing the cross section of the shoulder form carrying that bar as indicated at 15.

This permits an uplift of the shoulder form and consequently the pressure bar carried by that form, about the axis 15, which lifting movement may be limited and controlled by engagement of the free end of the pressure bar with the supporting bar below it at 16.

Straining or breaking of the integral hinge at 15 is thus prevented. The shoulder form will lift freely to the extent permitted by engagement of the free end of the pressure bar with the supporting bar. This movement is sufficient for entry of a garment over the supporting bar. The weight of a coat or other garment placed over the shoulder forms then will have the effect of adding pressure sufiicient to hold the garment securely in place on the bar. The integral hinge on the other hand offers resist ance to prevent applicationof excessive pressure on the garment on the bar.

The form of the hanger shown in FIG. 3 differs from that first described in the formation of the integral hinge by providing a notch 17 in the body portion to create a definite hinge at 18 in the second shoulder form at the juncture of that form with the central body section.

The reduced cross section necessary to create the integral hinge mounting may be provided by notching the lower edge of the pressure bar carrying form substantially as indicated at 19 in FIG. 4. This construction avoids any break in the upper coat supporting edge of the hanger and may be desired for that reason.

FIG. 5, illustrates a further variation of the invention in which the integral hinge for the pressure bar is provided right at the root end of the pressure bar where it connects with the supporting shoulder form. This portion of reduced cross section is indicated at 20. This construction imparts a degree of flexibility to the pressure bar enabling it to frictionally hold garments on the supporting bar without creasing or leaving any marks on them.

In all forms of integral hinge constructions reduction in cross section extends horizontally across the hanger structure transverse to the longitudinal axis of the pressure bar so that this bar is maintained in position over the lower, supporting bar while free to hinge upwardly and downwardly in respect to that bar.

While preferred for some purposes to have the supporting hook integral with the body structure of the hanger, this hook may be a separate piece molded or otherwise fixed in the head structure of the hanger, as indicated at 21 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 illustrates a further variation of the invention in which the shoulder forms 22, 23 carrying the supporting and pressure bars 24, 25 respectively are made up in companion parts having overlying body portions 26, 27 pivotally connected together by a pivot stud 28.

Hook extensions 29, 30 on the companion parts when brought into alignment by engagement over a supporting pole or rod will act to hold the pressure bar 25 in proper relation to the supporting bar 24, preventing excess pressure on the garment which otherwise might result by weight of a coat or the like hanging on the shoulder form 23 carrying the bar 25.

All forms of the invention are of simple inexpensive construction providing desirable ease in placing garments over the supporting bars and desirable retention of garments in supported position, with easy release when desired of such garments by simply sliding them out from beneath the pressure bar over the free end of the supporting bar.

These hangers are compact, lightweight, inexpensive, sturdy construction.

Protection is afforded in each instance against strain or breakage by bending or hinging the parts to an un necessary or excessive extent. The upper pressure bar is limited in downward movement by engagement with the lower, supporting bar and extreme upward movement of the pressure bar may be limited by engagement with the underside of the arch of the hanger which overstands it.

The hanger may be made up with the pressure bar substantially parallel with or somewhat inclined in respect to the supporting bar beneath it, these conditions being illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 1, and 6.

The broken lines in FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate extreme hinging positions of the pressure bars in those two forms of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment hanger comprising a central body portion,

downwardly divergent shoulder forms sloping downwardly in opposite directions from said central body portion,

a lower, garment supporting bar extending substantially horizontally from the lower end of one of said shoulder forms toward and beneath but terminating clear of the other shoulder form and thereby providing a gap between the free end of said supporting bar and said other shoulder form for insertion of a garment over said supporting bar,

a companion upper, straight, garment retaining bar extending substantially horizontally from the lower end of said other shoulder form toward said first mentioned shoulder form into position beneath said first mentioned shoulder form and in closely overlying 4 relation over and approximately parallel with said supporting bar for applying holding pressure on a garment engaged on said supporting bar, and means for hingedly supporting said upper garment retaining bar on said hanger on a horizontal axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said retaining bar and confining said retaining bar to yield upwardly to admit garments over the free end of the supporting bar into supported position thereon and to yield downwardly toward said supporting bar for applying downward holding pressure on garments so supported.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said shoulder forms and related garment supporting and retaining bars are integrally connected members and in which said means for hingedly supporting the upper, garment retaining bar is a transversely reduced cross sectional portion of one of said integrally connected members and in which said garment retaining bar is inclined at the free end of the same toward said garment supporting bar to exert a pinching effect on a garment mounted on the supporting bar.

3. The invention according to claim 1 in which said hinging portion of reduced cross section is located between said central body portion and the second mentioned shoulder form carrying the upper garment retaining bar.

4. The invention according to claim 1 in which said hinging portion of reduced cross section is located between the second mentioned shoulder form and the garment retaining bar carried thereby.

5. The invention according to claim 1 in which said shoulder forms and central body portion are counterpart members in opposed overlying relation hingedly connected together by a pivot pin extending through the body portion forming part of the same and in which supporting hooks extend upwardly in aligned relation from said body portion forming parts and whereby the relative position of said shoulder forms will be controlled by engagement of said hooks over a supporting rod or the like.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,458,114 Sommer June 5, 1923 2,452,346 Appleman Oct. 26, 1948 2,547,561 Brooke Apr. 3, 1951 2,620,103 Antolini Dec. 2, 1952 2,975,949 Lutsky Mar. 21, 1961 2,998,173 Lutz Aug. 29, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 614,496 Great Britain Dec. 16, 1948 

1. A GARMENT HANGER COMPRISING A CENTRAL BODY PORTION, DOWNWARDLY DIVERGENT SHOULDER FORMS SLOPING DOWNWARDLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM SAID CENTRAL BODY PORTION, A LOWER, GARMENT SUPPORTING BAR EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY FROM THE LOWER END OF ONE OF SAID SHOULDER FORMS TOWARD AND BENEATH BUT TERMINATING CLEAR OF THE OTHER SHOULDER FORM AND THEREBY PROVIDING A GAP BETWEEN THE FREE END OF SAID SUPPORTING BAR AND SAID OTHER SHOULDER FORM FOR INSERTION OF A GARMENT OVER SAID SUPPORTING BAR, A COMPANION UPPER, STRAIGHT, GARMENT RETAINING BAR EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID OTHER SHOULDER FORM TOWARD SAID FIRST MENTIONED SHOULDER FORM INTO POSITION BENEATH SAID FIRST MENTIONED SHOULDER FORM AND IN CLOSELY OVERLYING RELATION OVER AND APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL WITH SAID SUPPORTING BAR FOR APPLYING HOLDING PRESSURE ON A GARMENT ENGAGED ON SAID SUPPORTING BAR, AND MEANS FOR HINGEDLY SUPPORTING SAID UPPER GARMENT RETAINING BAR ON SAID HANGER ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS TRANSVERSE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID RETAINING BAR AND CONFINING SAID RETAINING BAR TO YIELD UPWARDLY TO ADMIT GARMENTS OVER THE FREE END OF THE SUPPORTING BAR INTO SUPPORTED POSITION THEREON AND TO YIELD DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID SUPPORTING BAR FOR APPLYING DOWNWARD HOLDING PRESSURE ON GARMENTS SO SUPPORTED. 